WASTE MANAGEMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY: A NEW BUSINESS MODEL

We are entering an era of renewed environmental consciousness. Innovative waste management practices are becoming more and more important in socially responsible enterprises. The trend towards corporate responsible behaviours is increasing and the issue about ecological awareness is absolutely relevant today. Producers and retailers are concerned with implementing their environmental efficiencies to act for the good and to improve their image upon their stakeholders. It is necessary to rethink the way that enterprises reduce the production of waste material to achieve sustainability and the way that technological advances can help collect, recycle and reuse waste. Many stakeholders are involved in this process; producers, retailers, citizens and municipalities. The theoretical framework of systems thinking will be applied to understand the crucial stakeholders’ linkages. In practice, there is the necessity to raise awareness on the shared goal of acting in a sustainable way. Producers and retailers need to reduce energy and packaging, citizens have to separate waste and municipalities should organize and control the collection and recycling of dry/wet waste and guarantee their separation.